Special Service and Features
87 students from Government schools in Tamil Nadu receive admission to IIT Madras BS Program under the 'Anaivarukkum IITM' initiative
Forty-five students from government and corporation schools across various districts in Tamil Nadu  received their admission letter to the IIT Madras BS Program from Thiru. Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, Hon'ble Minister for School Education, Government of Tamil Nadu, on Saturday, 5th November 2022, at an event held in IIT Madras under the 'Anaivarukkum IITM' initiative.
A total of 87 students, including 39 females, across more than 20 districts in Tamil Nadu have received admissions for the BS Degree in Data Science and Applications, a four-year course that was first introduced by IIT Madras in 2021 with the aim of making the Institute's quality education accessible to all.
"I congratulate the students from Tamil Nadu Government Schools who have qualified for the IIT Madras BS Degree Program and wish them success. I thank the IIT Madras Administration and its Director, Prof V Kamakoti for taking such meaningful initiatives to make quality education accessible and affordable for Tamil Nadu Government students. This aligns with the State Government's initiative to make education in premier institutions accessible to State Government school students and I appreciate IIT Madras BS Degree Program's collaboration in making this effort possible. We look forward to taking this to its next level as you introduce new programs", said Thiru Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, Hon'ble Minister for School Education, Government of Tamil Nadu while giving away the admission letters to Tamil Nadu Government school students at the ‘Anaivaraukkum IITM’ event today.
As part of the IIT Madras’ Strategic Vision to make quality education accessible to all, there are multiple efforts from the Institute targeted at students from the public education system, especially in Tamil Nadu. The 'Anaivarukkum IITM'  initiative is one such effort where IIT Madras shortlisted and supported a select cohort of 192 students from 58 Government and Corporation schools in and around Chennai. Based on the progressive learning outcomes exhibited during a 14-week in-person training at IIT Madras, 68 students were shortlisted to write the pan-India qualifier exam for admission to the BS Degree.
In an effort to make quality education affordable and available to all, IIT Madras provides income-based scholarships of up to 75 per cent for students pursuing the BS Degree. In addition, students who qualified through a collaborative effort with Tamil Nadu Adi Dravidar Housing Development Corporation  will receive full financial support from the Government of Tamil Nadu.
The course is carefully designed to offer students multiple entry and exit options where the learner can earn a certificate, diploma, or degree. This provides flexibility to learners and empowers them to choose what they want to accomplish through this program. The program imparts highly sought-after industry-relevant knowledge and skills that would greatly enhance employability. In addition, the students who graduate with a BS degree will be eligible to appear for GATE and pursue MTech in India or apply to postgraduate degrees offered by universities abroad.
“IIT BS degree is an unexpected opportunity. I did not know what IIT was previously, but my ambitions changed after I was introduced to this training. I worked hard for 12 weeks. I learnt new techniques on how to make learning easier.” said Jagashree, a student from Virugmabakkam who had received admission at IIT Madras for the BS program.
“I secured admission at the IIT Madras for the BS program under the ‘Anaivarukkum IIT’ scheme and since I studied at a government school I got to know about this program. This course is a huge platform for me as my avenues have now broadened,” said M.
Durai Kannan, Chennai Boys Higher Secondary School, who hails from Saidapet.
So far, more than 15,000 students are enrolled in the program, with the maximum number of students from Tamil Nadu, followed by Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.
"The ‘Anaivarukkum IITM’ initiative aims to increase the number of Government school students who are enrolled in our BS program. We are excited that the first batch of students through this initiative has now been admitted. We aim to grow this further and make quality education accessible to all, regardless of their socio-economic status. We are glad that the Hon'ble Minister of School Education, Government of Tamil Nadu could join us for this event to motivate the students. We also thank the Tamil Nadu Government for all their support," said Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director - IIT Madras, congratulating the students receiving their admission letters at the 'Anaivarukkum IITM' event.
Data Science enables students to manage data, visualize patterns to gain managerial insights, model uncertainties, and build models that assist in producing forecasts to make effective business decisions. Through extensive hands-on training and experiential learning, the students are also well-trained to meet industry standards.
The course is a platform to create skilled and employable professionals in a data-driven world. The IIT Madras team is confident that this inclusive and affordable education model will extend IITs' reach by orders of magnitude and address the pressing need of the learners to get access to high-quality education," said Prof. Vignesh Muthuvijayan faculty-in-charge, BS Program at IIT Madras.
The next batch of the IIT Madras BS Program starts in January 2023, and applications are currently open. For more information, please visit https://onlinedegree.iitm.ac.in/.